Indian flying fox Pteropus giganteus colony in Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, Sri Lanka

Abstract

A colony of Indian flying foxes in Peradeniya Botanical Gardens near Kandy, Sri Lanka, was spread over 20 hectares and numbered 24,480 bats in September 2002. The number of bats per tree varied between ten and 1200. The median value was low (= 50 bats per tree) and half of the trees contained between 30 and 100 bats. The mean density was c. 1200 bats per hectare, but was significantly higher along the western margin of the colony (3250 bats per hectare). Peradeniya possibly supports the largest aggregation of the Indian flying fox known currently.

Keywords

• Pteropus giganteus, Sri Lanka, colony size, emergence